7 TED Talks on Happiness + Gratitude

One of the things we love about TED Talks is that they're bite-sized pieces of wisdom, perspective, and storied advice. They’re perfect for lapses in confidence, clarity, or purpose. In fact, TED Talks are, by definition, videos (usually live presentations) that present a great idea in 18 minutes or less. 

Some of the most famous and popular TED Talks present ideas about vulnerability, leadership, communication, depression, and human relationships. 

We wanted to create a list of our favorite TED Talks that tackle subjects related to happiness, contentment, joy, creativity, and even magic. 

Here are some of our favorite talks to watch or listen to when we need a boost of inspiration or a quick little laugh. 

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Why We Laugh by Sophie Scott 

Did you know that you’re 30 times more likely to laugh when you’re with someone else? Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott recalls when she found her normally stoic parents curled up in laughter on the floor. 

Challenge: Watch this video without laughing. 

“And when we laugh with people, we're hardly ever actually laughing at jokes. You are laughing to show people that you understand them, that you agree with them, that you're part of the same group as them. You're laughing to show that you like them. You might even love them. You're doing all that at the same time as talking to them, and the laughter is doing a lot of that emotional work for you.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here. 

The Hidden Power of Sad Songs and Rainy Days by Susan Cain and Min Kym 

Sad songs as the key to happiness? While seeking out sad moments and gloomy days might seem like the key to sadness, it can be the opposite. 

“People play the happy songs on their playlists about 175 times on average, but they play the sad songs 800 times. And they tell researchers that they associate sad music with beauty and wonder and transcendence, the so-called sublime emotions. And you know, just think of how many musical genres tap into sorrow. “

Watch the video + access the transcript here. 

Where Joy Hides and How to Find It by Indrid Fetell Lee 

As she finished her first year of design school, Ingrid Fetel Lee learned an important and transformative lesson about joy, but it would take her ten more years to really understand the lesson. 

“Joy is about feeling good in the moment, right now. And this was interesting to me because as a culture, we are obsessed with the pursuit of happiness, and yet in the process, we kind of overlook joy.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here.

The Shared Experience of Absurdity by Charlie Todd

If you remember the "no pants subway rides" in the early aughts, you're already familiar with Charlie Todd's work. While this may seem like a silly trick for attention, what if a little silliness is the trick to turning your day around? 

Todd, the founder of Improv Everywhere, explains how bringing absurdity into everyday life is the key to happiness. 

“As kids, we're taught to play. And we're never given a reason why we should play. It's just acceptable that play is a good thing. And I think that's sort of the point of Improv Everywhere. It's that there is no point and that there doesn't have to be a point.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here. 

2 Questions to Uncover Your Passion and Turn It into a Career By Noeline Kirabo 

What's your passion? What's your purpose? What are your values? 

Social entrepreneur Noeline Kirabo reflects on the intentional move she made to change her career to align with her passion and her sense of purpose—to help others. 

“The notion that looking inward and finding the things that give us pleasure and fulfillment is a luxury only the rich can enjoy.” 

Watch the video + access the transcript here.

How to Find Work You Love by Scott Dinsmore 

After receiving “the worst career advice of his life,” Scott Dinsmore realized that he hated his job and his work. In this TED Talk, Dinsmore explores the “simple” key to finding work he enjoys.

Find out the one simple question he asks to determine whether or not your job really fits you. 

“I wanted to find the work I couldn’t not do.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here. 

Should You Live for Your Resume…Or Your Eulogy by David Brooks

What's more important to you: your current resume or your future eulogy? This is the question David Brooks poses in this TED Talk.

This is admittedly a heavy title, and none of us like to think about death, especially in relation to work. 

“So I've been thinking about the difference between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the ones you put on your resume, which are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that get mentioned in the eulogy, which are deeper: who are you, in your depth, what is the nature of your relationships? Are you bold, loving, dependable, consistent?” 

Watch the video + access the transcript here. 

My Philosophy for a Happy Life by Sam Berns 

This, unsurprisingly, is one of the 25 most popular Ted Talks of all time. Sam Berns was born with a genetic disorder called progeria, which littered his life with obstacles from the moment he was born. 

In this TED Talk, 17-year-old Bern shared his keys to living a happy life. 

“I’m okay with what I ultimately can’t do because there is so much I can do.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here.

What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness by Robert Waldinger 

For 75 years, The Harvard Study of Adult Development tracked the lives of 724 men, year after year, asking about their work, their home lives, their health, and, of course, asking all along the way without knowing how their life stories were going to turn out.

As the fourth director of the longest study on adult development and human happiness, Robert Waldinger shared the most important and illuminating lessons we can all take from the study. 

Hint: The “key” to happiness is not money, and it’s not fame or notoriety. 

“The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here.  

My Secret to Creating Real Magic by Christina Tosi

What is magic, and how can a non-magician access phenomenal moments?

In this talk, the creative connoisseur of sweet Christina Tosi explains how she experiences magic, and how she learned to share it with others. 

“Magic, real magic is not an illusion. Real magic is the feeling when life transforms from the ordinary into the extraordinary. And not only is it real. It is the very thing that connects us to this world, to one another, to our entire existence.”

Watch the video + access the transcript here.